The Advice of Fathers Past
by CFUnlimited
Summary: After the events of FFXIII, some former citizens of Cocoon attempt to rebuild old Pulsian cities to be used as their homes. While Serah is away in Oerba, Snow is left to his troubled thoughts. Luckily, Sazh is there to help him out... Endgame spoilers.


"I love you too, baby."

"_What_ did you just say?"

Snow Villiers paused, lounging back in a small, wooden chair that really had no business holding a man as large as himself. He slid his heavy boots off the stout table they had been resting on, rocking forward as he adjusted the headpiece he held by his ear.

He recognized the irritation more so than the voice itself, and with a quick sigh, took his chances. "Wait, Claire, is that you?"

"Lightning," she grumbled. "It's still _Lightning_."

Pausing to scratch the back of his head, Snow decided to take his chances again. "So I'm guessing Serah passed the phone off to you then."

"She did. Some kids wanted to play with her, and I needed to, uhm, well she left," said Lightning in a monotone, her eagerness to change the topic dripping off every word.

Snow laughed, a smile spreading across his face as he thought of his fiancée. "Well, tell her I still love her…"

Lightning grunted, but said nothing else.

"I love you too y'know," said Snow, pushing himself out of his chair to walk lazily around his tent nestled near the new Cocoon Pillar.

"What?" asked Lightning, more angry than surprised.

"Yeah, yeah, don't act so surprised. I love you too Claire, you _will_ be my sister soon after all. Don't want to start the family dysfunction too early do you?" asked Snow, stopping to inspect a frayed cord holding the tent to its support pole. The entire tent he was in, about a ten by twenty metre hall encased in faded purple fabric, had been compiled using the scraps of material brought down on the PSICOM evacuation ships.

After the initial confusion of being found on Pulse, the Guardian Corps and PSICOM had attempted to regain some measure of control over the people. With the skytanks being used to ferry survivors down from Cocoon or go on material acquisition runs, tents had been erected as makeshift command posts.

Not wanting to be outdone by the army, Team NORA had salvaged their own tent at Maqui's request. Snow had been there alone, talking with his fiancée on the phone, up until now that is.

Lightning's angry voice cut into his thoughts, "It's _Lightning!_ And you won't be my brother if you have an accident before the wedding. Now listen to me. I need your help."

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Snow spun on the spot to face the center of the tent once again, "_You_, need _my_ help?"

She was silent.

"Well, you will be my brother soon," mumbled Lightning, clearing her throat after she finished. "Now listen. I've finally convinced Lieutenant Amodar to send some supplies up here to Oerba, but I don't want his men escorting the cargo alone. They're green here on Pulse, and I don't want to lose that shipment."

"Sure thing, Claire, I'll be there as soon as I can," said Snow, grabbing his battle worn coat with his free hand. Holding the phone against his shoulder, he began to swat at the dirt and grime still clinging from his last foray onto the Archylte Steppe. "Where can I meet 'em?"

"Lieutenant Amodar said the men would be near the eastern entrance to the camp. They don't want to go by Taejin's Tower, the most recent reports indicate increased wyvern activity there," stated Lightning. She always knew which area had the highest creature activity, and therefore, which areas to avoid.

"Should save some time. Alright, see ya soon Claire," as Snow moved the headpiece away from his ear, he heard a voice calling him back. "What'd you say?"

"Call me Claire one more time, and I'll hit you. Very hard."

And then the line went dead.

**----x**

Snow stepped out of the Team NORA command tent and stretched his back in the sunlight. A loud groan escaped from his gut, slowly rising in pitch until he flopped back into a normal posture. "Whew, that felt good…"

As Snow began to march toward the eastern entrance, Sazh Katzroy fell in step beside him, clapping an arm on his shoulder. "Oh, got that coat on again huh? That must mean something's about to go down."

Snow smiled at his old friend, "You know how things are, in times like these, heroes are in high demand."

Sazh chuckled and checked his hand, wiping it on his pants after he did. "Seems to me heroes should know how to do their own laundry."

Trying to look over his shoulder at his back, Snow stumbled forward a few steps before turning back to Sazh. "Oh c'mon, it's clean enough. Besides, there're a lot of good memories on this jacket, can't just wash them away."

The pilot pointed an accusatory finger. "That," he stopped to shake his head, "Is some terrible logic."

"Well, remember that time we fought those sahagins who were attacking the chocobos?"

Slowly, Sazh nodded.

"This stain, right here. One of them got me good with a blast of water, but hey, at least we finished that old guy's Focus right?"

Sazh stopped and put a hand on Snow's shoulder, causing him to stop as well. Sazh bent over to inspect the stain on the younger man's side, before standing and once again shaking his head. "Where you see memories, all I see is a stank water stain. Wash your coat."

Snow laughed and shook his head. "Okay, okay! Point taken, I'll wash my coat when I get back, but it'd be pointless to do it now."

Sazh nodded in relief, "Okay, so long as you do, I won't father you. For now though, we've gotta get to Oerba with those supplies, huh?" The older man held his hand over his eyes to block the sunlight, and looked for Lieutenant Amodar to the east. "A man that big, you think he'd be easy to find."

As Sazh slouched and sighed, Snow's brow creased in concern. "Wait, I thought _I_ was going to escort the supplies. But you said—."

"I was told by a certain Farron to make sure you didn't get in over your head. Luckily, Lebreau promised to babysit Dajh, freeing me up to go for a walk." Sazh stretched his hand out and pointed, "There's our man, Lieutenant Amodar. C'mon, let's get moving, don't have all day now."

Snow crossed his arms and followed Sazh to the east, hanging his head back and groaning loudly as he went, "We _saved Cocoon_ together and Claire still doesn't trust me? I tell ya Sazh, I'm not feeling the love."

"It's Lightning still, I'm tellin' you that girl will die before she relaxes even a little, but she's not the one who asked me to come."

Snow stopped amidst the bustle of the camp, a tall island in a sea of movement. He stared slack-jawed at Sazh until the older man turned around yet again. "Wait, _Serah_ doesn't trust me now? I don't believe you, there's no way she asked you to come. She knows I can handle myself, ever since we met I've killing monsters. Team NORA is still going strong, even here on Pulse. It couldn't—."

"Oh be quiet already!" Sazh pointed an accusatory finger at Snow. "I remember the first time I saw you, how scared you were for Serah. You wouldn't done anything, and I suppose I could say you _did_ everything, to bring her back from being a crystal. Well, she's out now, and she's worrying about you. She trusts you Snow, believe me she does, but she's been alone in Oerba for two weeks now and needs her hero back. I'm just making sure the hero gets there on time. Okay?"

"Oh," mumbled Snow as he rubbed a hand on his beanie. "Well in that case, let's get moving!"

As Snow grinned, Sazh recoiled in disgust. "Where'd you get that stain on your underarm?"

Confused, Snow checked the multicoloured mark nearer his elbow. He stared at it for a while, before hedging his bets and offering; "I think it was a nurmidon. Maybe, _maybe_ a behemoth..."

Sazh shook his head and kept walking, "Some memory you got there. I'm telling you, you gotta—."

"Wash the coat, I know, I know." Despite his insistence on good laundry, Snow was happy to have Sazh along for the trip. They needed to talk.

**----x**

Leading the way, with Lieutenant Amodar's men following behind, Snow and Sazh had spent the last twenty minutes in silence. Sazh, with his fingers interlocked behind his head, had spent the majority of that time looking at Snow. The usually optimistic and irrepressible man was resting his chin against a balled fist while staring meditatively at the ground. Every so often he'd turn back and check on the men, their quiet and terrified chorus of, "Good sir, just taking it all in" was always enough to send Snow back to his thoughts.

Sazh had to admit, seeing Snow like this, he was scared. That boy was always moving, his goal always right there before him, egging him on. But now, he seemed unsure.

Finally, his patience worn out, Sazh slapped him on the shoulder, "You alright there big guy?"

Snow quickly looked down and grinned widely, "Oh yeah sure, I'm great. Fantastic. Just, uh..." He looked back at the men and called out, "How we doing guys?"

"...Good sir, just taking it all in."

Satisfied, Snow grinned at Sazh and nodded. "See? They're good too. Everybody's great."

Sazh just raised an eyebrow.

Snow fidgeted in the silence, looked back at the men, then at Sazh, then back ahead to the trail they followed, "Great, great, great."

Snow nodded again, "Uh, how are you, Sazh?"

The older man thought about his response. "I'm confused, but I'll be alright."

"Well, great. That's good," said Snow, once again eyeing the trail nervously.

"Tired too," added Sazh, noticing a wide, flat plain ahead on the left of the path. His feet ached from walking all day, and without Lightning to force him to keep walking, he was going to take a break. "Want to rest up there?" he asked, pointing to the clearing.

"Yes sir!" yelled one of the men.

Sazh looked back with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, you, uh, weren't talking to me, were you?" The young soldier lowered his head in embarrassment.

"Why not? You're just as important out here as me or him," said Sazh while pointing toward Snow. "Want to rest soldier?"

The man nodded excitedly, and Sazh chuckled, "Well come on then."

As the soldiers went about securing the cargo, Sazh noticed Snow leave the group and sit himself down on top of a nearby hill. As soon as the men were settled and calm, Sazh left them and sat down besides Snow.

"What's on your mind?"

Snow laughed, "Enough to keep me busy."

"Well, then, let me have it."

Flopping onto his back, Snow stared at the sky. "I dunno, I'm... scared."

Sazh paused, choosing his next words carefully. Remembering all of the many, _many_ times Snow almost got himself killed for his distinct _lack_ of fear, this seemed an alien concept. Then again...

Spreading his arms in a friendly gesture, Sazh smiled at his old comrade in arms, "Of monsters? Don't worry about that, you still have ol' Sazh here for you. Besides, only thing that's changed since Orphan is our ability to cast magic, and let's face it; that never was your speciality."

Snow propped himself up on his elbow, and glared playfully at the older man, "Look who's talking. And that's not what I'm scared about, actually. Thought never crossed my mind. I mean, after all we went through monsters are old hat, huh?"

Remembering his encounter with a humbada post-magic, Sazh found it somewhat hard to agree. Then again, Hope had helped him kill the beast, and all that poor boy had was a boomerang and a quick mind. Still, "I wouldn't call monsters 'old hat'. But if that's not what's bothering you, what is?"

Lying on his back once more, Snow sighed loudly. "I wanna be a father, but... I'm worried about what kind of dad I'll be."

Wrapping his arms around his knees, Sazh just waited for Snow to say his piece.

"I love Serah with everything I have, and I know I can make her happy, but kids are something else entirely. I mean, what if my son or daughter or whatever picks up Claire's attitude? I doubt they'll warm up to me as fast as she did."

Sazh had never entertained that thought, and now he knew why. Lightning still had a forceful presence, to put it one way.

"I know sometimes I'm not the easiest person to get along with for people like Claire, but I always do the best I can for them. For everyone, really."

Sazh nodded, "Well, Lightning warmed up to you didn't she? Shouldn't take your kids long to do the same. It's natural for a kid to love their parents after all."

Rolling onto his shoulders, then bounding onto his feet, Snow still looked concerned. "You're right. But still...There's something else."

An unusual silence fell over the two as Snow weighed his words. "Since we got down to Pulse, with everyone from Cocoon that is, we've all been doing their part to keep things running smoothly. Claire, and now Serah, have been running themselves ragged trying to find us all a home, you've been helping everyone adjust to life down here, and Team NORA and me have been helping the military protect everyone."

Snow lightly pounded one fist into his other hand as he thought, before flinging his arms out to either side in exasperation. "Despite all that though, we're closer together than ever. With our brands gone, Serah and I actually got a chance to have our first night alone since all this craziness started. I mean, you and Dajh have gone on how many chocobo rides?"

Sazh chuckled at the memory, before snapping himself back into the conversation at Snow's frustrated sigh.

"Every time I see Hope though, I think about his mother. All he's got left is his dad, and while the kid still keeps himself busy, I still think about her."

Sazh waved his hands in front of his face, "I thought you and Hope smoothed that over though. He forgave you, didn't he? Nora's death wasn't your fault."

Slowly, Snow nodded. "That's what he said, but sometimes I'm not so sure."

Sazh clambered to his feet and rested his hands on Snow's shoulders, "Now, c'mon now, you can't be saying that. What happened to Nora was tragic, but we know now that it was all Orphan's fault. _And_ Barthandelus. We stopped both of them, that's gotta be worth something right?"

Snow grinned without enthusiasm, "Only so many people can die around you before you start to think you're part of the problem."

Sazh dropped his hands to his sides. This had to be a fal'Cie trick. No way Snow Villiers, the man who tried to punch a fal'Cie three times without thinking, could be saying this.

"All I'm saying is, maybe you guys were right all along. Maybe I am too reckless. What if the next person to die because of me, is myself? Or Serah? What could I do without her? What if my kids have to grow up without a parent?" Snow stopped for a moment, and hung his head. "I've always done what I can to protect everyone, to create a better future. What if that's not enough to be a good father?"

Sazh walked away from his friend slowly, rubbing his hand idly into the back of his plume of hair. With the chocobo gone to stay with Dajh, his head felt unusually light. He walked down the hill a ways, heading in the direction of the camp and all its soldiers. Finally, he decided how to address Snow's concerns, and turned around to face him once again.

"You know what Snow?"

The mountain of a man fidgeted on the spot, "What?"

"There's a reason you've never worried like this before. You're terrible at it."

As he began to walk back to camp, Sazh heard Snow yell before chasing after the man. He never really stop to think, and that's why he'd make a excellent father.

**----x**

"You're here early," mused Lightning, more to herself than the convoy of approaching soldiers. With some restraint she managed to keep the surprise and anxiety out of her voice, not that Snow would notice if she hadn't. Sazh might though, and while she had no idea why he had tagged along, she was happy to see him again. "Hi there, old friend. Dajh been keeping you busy?"

"What do you mean 'old'? I'm still as tough as you guys!" scoffed Sazh, waving Lightning off with a grin. "But that boy is something else. I've got stories, but for now, give me a hug."

Lightning stepped forward nervously, very conscious of what she was wearing, only to be thankfully interrupted by Snow's interjection.

"Hey Claire! Supplies are here safe and sound! Where's Serah?" he chirped, giving her a quick, one-armed hug as he searched what was visible of Oerba's crystal coated buildings.

She landed a solid punch into his sternum while he was close, happy to see it knocked some of his ample breath from his lungs. "She's over in the abandoned schoolhouse, cleaning the shelves last time I saw her. And I told you, it's still _Lightning_."

Snow backed away from her, heading ever so subtly towards the schoolhouse. "Whatever you say sis," he conceded as he finally turned and left in earnest, calling over his shoulder as he went. "Oh, and nice dress by the way. Not really _you,_ but I like it!"

Then he was gone.

Lightning felt her face go scarlet, and stopped to look at the plain, white summer dress Serah had convinced her to wear. She had planned to change before that buffoon got here, but he was early. She could not afford to make that mistake twice.

Still, it was kinda comfy...

"I agree, you look beautiful," offered Sazh. "Maybe you should try it more often."

Lightning chuckled and finally gave Sazh his hug. "Don't count on it."

Sazh laughed too, and stopped to look around the village as former Cocoon citizens attempted to rebuild it. He smiled approvingly, and turned back to Lightning. "So, can I get the tour?"

Unsure of what to say, Lightning only gave a curt nod. As they ambled down the road, she found herself unable to contain her curiosity any longer. "Sazh, why are you here?"

"I'm here because of Serah, actually. She called me, after you asked to talk to Snow that is, and asked that I make sure he stays safe doing whatever it is you wanted. Good thing too, did you know he's been scared of becoming a father?"

Lightning blinked in surprise, "Didn't think it was possible..."

Sazh laughed at this, and carried on. "Well, apparently it is. He was worried that he'll rush into something, _anything_ actually, and someone will get hurt. Seems that man's starting to take greater responsibility for his actions."

Lightning, despite all her anger at Snow and his rashness, couldn't help but be disappointed. During their quest to end Barthandelus' reign, his stupidity came to be something she could always count on. Something to keep her going.

Without it, Snow wouldn't be there to urge them on, or to force them into action (even if it was only to save his sorry ass).

Still, all she said was "Oh."

Sazh nodded, "I felt the same way at first. I told him that he can't worry about that when you raise a kid. If Snow's anything, he's decisive. Sure he might not always make the right call, _per se_, but he will fight to the bitter end for those he cares about, and what more could a child ask for? Us parents are people too, we'll make our mistakes, but it's how much we love our kids and fight for them that matters."

As they slowed to a stop at a balcony overlooking the expansive, sandlike-crystal ocean, Sazh sighed peacefully. "I think Snow as a dad will be like us as 'heroes'. We didn't know what to do with Orphan, but we wanted what was best for everyone. And that worked out, didn't it?"

Lightning rested her elbows on the railing, and her chin in her palms. Feeling the wind rustle her dress, and hearing Sazh refer to Orphan as something far in the past gave her a warm feeling of serenity. "You're right Sazh. Knowing Snow, it won't be long until he runs around proclaiming that he's a daddy, like he knew he could handle it all along."

She thought of Snow and Serah together, the mismatched couple crammed onto a singular hospital bed, her sister holding a sleeping baby. She liked the thought, much to her own surprise.

"I'm sure...He'll be a great dad..." she mumbled, just to herself. Summer dress or not, she still had to look tough for Sazh.

"Took some talking," Sazh chimed in. "But he came around. After I convinced him he'd be a good father, he double-timed us all the way to Oerba. Said he couldn't wait to get started. I tell you, that b—."

"WHAT!?" Lightning whipped around, grabbed Sazh, and flung him against the short balcony wall. "What. Did. He. Say?"

"What, that he couldn't wait to get started?" Sazh flung his hands up in surrender as he just managed to contain his smirk. "C'mon, now, let's be rational now."

_"Where's Serah?"_

_ Wants to be a father..._

_ Can't. Wait. To. Get. STARTED._

Turning toward the school house, Lightning instinctively reached for her Omega Weapon. Only...

She just grabbed fabric. Soft, white fabric.

_"Come on Claire, just wear this dress. Just the one time, it'll look great, I promise! You wear those stuffy clothes too much, carrying your sword around all the time..."_

"DAMMIT!" she yelled, mentally scrambling to remember where Serah put her weapon after she changed. But all she could remember was the anxiety of wearing _civilian_ clothing again. That, and how cute she thought she looked. But no one would know that last part...

She had to get to the school house, now! Find Snow, remove him from her sister, and hit him until she lost feeling in her fist. What else could she need her hand for anyway?

Before she marched off though, Sazh rested a hand on her shoulder. "Claire, stop. This is their life, they know what they're doing."

She stopped to consider, then grinded her teeth. "Sorry Sazh, but I'm going to hit him. Really, really hard."

**--------CF**


End file.
